Medieval Source
The primary source on Christina is that of Icelander Sturla Þórðarson (Sturla was the nephew of Snorri Sturluson and had come to Norway in 1263). Sturla was commissioned by Kristina’s brother, Magnus Lagabøter, (King Magnus VI of Norway) to write his father’s saga (Saga of Haakon Haakonsson ) shortly after King Haakon died in the Orkney Islands on 16 December 1263. In relating the stories in the saga, Sturla would have been able to interview contemporaries of the King and those that had taken the journey to Spain with Christina.
In the 19th century, Norwegian historian Peter Andreas Munch related the story of King Haakon's daughter, Christina, in his work, A History of the Norwegian People (Det norske folks historie), which was published in the 1850s.
The saga narrates how King Haakon sent a delegation to Castile in 1255 where they presented gifts to the court of falcons, furs, and leather. The Norwegian envoys were well received by the Spanish court and the next year when they returned to Norway, they were accompanied by representatives of Alfonso X, King of Castile, León and Galicia — headed by the royal notary, Sira Ferrant. Ferrant asked King Haakon if his daughter Christina could be betrothed to one of King Alfonso's brothers. The saga relates that King Haakon considered the request with careful thought. He consulted with the archbishop, and several wise men in making a decision. Haakon consented to the request under the condition that Christina be allowed to choose her husband from among the brothers of the King of Castile. (King Haakon had lost a son only a short time before to the Black Death).
Read more about this topic: Christina Of Norway, Infanta Of Castile
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